Cultural Asbestos (feat. Phil Williams)

Summary

The Daily Beans – “Cultural Asbestos” (February 19, 2026)

Host: Allison Gill (AG), Dana Goldberg (DG)
Featured Guest: Phil Williams
Main Theme:
Today's episode focuses on the intersection of white supremacy, Christian nationalism, domestic extremism, the mainstreaming of hate, and failures in government accountability—plus activism for social justice and community organizing in the face of regressive policy. Special guest Phil Williams discusses his investigative journalism into the rise of organized hate, their emboldened presence in America, and the new Substack, "Hate Comes to Main Street."

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

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News Roundup and “Hot Notes”

[01:02–24:35]

1. Lawsuit Over Pride Flag at Stonewall National Monument

• A group of nonprofits, led by the Gilbert Baker Foundation, is suing the Trump administration to restore the Pride flag at the Stonewall monument in Greenwich Village.
• The lawsuit notes that historic context allows the display of such flags at national monuments, similar to existing exceptions for Confederate flags.
• DG: "It's okay for ye, but not for thee, huh?" [04:01]
• AG: "You want to be a bigoted dick face? Well, then you also have to fly the pride flag where we say it’s Stonewall." [04:05]

2. ICE Abuse, Family Letters Destroyed

• ICE officers raided Dilley, TX, destroying children’s family letters and artwork, after ProPublica shared their content highlighting suffering in detention.
• AG filed a FOIA request: "It is unconscionable… I will keep everyone posted on how this FOIA request goes." [06:14–07:21]

3. Violent ICE Arrest and Systemic Cover-Up

• St. Paul Police and FBI investigate the brutality against Alberto Can Mondon, whose skull was fractured during an ICE arrest. Multiple injuries are inconsistent with ICE’s account.
• DG: "There's video that contradicts your sworn testimony, sir. Would you like to fix your statement?" [08:54]

4. Asbestos Exposure at DHS Facilities

• DHS, under Secretary Kristi Noem, exposed staff to asbestos during a rush demolition of old federal buildings. No proper signage, protections, or air quality tests provided.
• AG quoting a former staffer: "If you come in the main hallway... you’ll never know you’re walking into a demolition zone with asbestos in the air." [10:38]

5. Fulton County Election Raid Affidavit Challenged

• The FBI’s search warrant for Fulton County's election facility is blasted as unconstitutional, reliant on discredited, biased witnesses, and lacking probable cause.
• DG, quoting county officials: "This is hardly a collection of unbiased or credible experts." [12:49]
• AG: "If you strip out all of the conspiracy theories, there's no probable cause for the warrant in the first place." [13:36]

6. Stephen Colbert vs. CBS Lawyers

• Colbert publicly pushed back against CBS’ legal statement regarding his unaired interview with Texas Senate candidate James Talarico, satirizing the network’s attempt to “cover their butts.”
• Colbert: "Now, this is a surprisingly small piece of paper, considering how many butts it's trying to cover." [14:08]
• AG summarizes: Colbert “fired back... They knew damn well that every word of my script last night was approved by CBS lawyers.” [16:04]

7. Veterans Disability Benefits Slashed

• The VA adjusts rules so that disability is measured by a veteran’s functioning while medicated, not by underlying impairment—likely reducing benefits and endangering lives.
• AG: "It's so fucked up... If you manage your diabetes [with medication], your blood sugar doesn't count. You get no compensation." [18:46]
• AG further: "I told you they were going to come after veterans benefits. And these veterans did not believe me." [19:12]

8. Department of Education Rolls Back Anti-DEI Directive

• DOE backs down from attempts to restrict Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs after legal pressure.
• AG reads ACLU statement: "This ruling affirms what educators and communities have long known. Celebrating the full existence of every person and sharing the truth about our history is essential." [19:41]

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Main Interview: Phil Williams on “Hate Comes to Main Street”

[24:35–44:54]

Introduction

• AG introduces Phil Williams, called “Nashville’s nosiest bitch” by John Oliver, investigative reporter and founder of new Substack, Hate Comes to Main Street [24:35].
• Williams is lauded for exposing local and national white supremacist and extremist figures, including Congressman Andy Ogles.
• AG: “You exposed that... and got him at least the start of an investigation by the FBI.” [24:20]

Williams’ Media Move and Motivation

• Williams on launching Substack: “I still have very strong support from my corporate bosses... Substack was just a way for me to broaden my impact... I have really developed this singular focus... on the rise of hate and extremism in our country.” [25:51]
• Aims to bring knowledge gained from deep Tennessee/local reporting to a wider, national audience.

The “Triple Threat”: Hate Group Convergence

• Williams identifies:
  • White supremacy
  • Christian nationalism
  • QAnon/conspiratorial extremism
• “Where they had once been part of a Venn diagram, they had fed off of each other to the point that they were almost indistinguishable at times.” [28:17]
• “All three... are driven... by this sense of anxiety about losing control—whether it’s the browning of America, rising political influence of women, or declining influence of religious institutions.” [29:29]
• “They are willing to sacrifice democracy if necessary in order to maintain control.” [30:09]

The Mainstreaming of Hate

• AG: “We see the use of Nazi propaganda by the Department of Homeland Security... Now that very fringe theory has made its way not into just mainstream media politics and on Main Street... but into the levers of power, into the White House, into Congress, into the halls of Congress. That’s what makes this such an emergency.” [35:45]
• Williams: The phrase “re-migration,” coined by European neo-Nazis, is now mainstream among U.S. political rhetoric [36:32].
• Williams likens unchecked local hate groups to an “unattended brush fire” that becomes a “wild fire” when ignored. [37:45]

Radicalization and Recruitment

• Williams spotlights American Renaissance Conference, noting attendees' open discussion of political violence.
• Draws connection to economic inequality and how it contributes to radicalization.
• AG: “They prey on young, angry men who feel like they've been left behind and give them someone to blame and give them a family and a community.” [41:44–43:06]
• Williams: “He is so blinded by this rage and ... a sense of being betrayed by the system that he’s willing to risk it all and to go to the Capitol and engage in the assault on police officers.” [43:19]

Subscribe to “Hate Comes to Main Street”

• Content includes investigative context, regular interviews (e.g., filmmaker Michael Primo on Proud Boys), and broader analysis.
• “Hopefully this will be a journey that we can all travel together.” [41:37]
• AG endorses, noting importance of widely accessible content: “It’s just so important that we educate ourselves on this rising hate that is now permeated our federal government, and how we can push back against it, expose it like you’ve been doing for years.” [44:08]

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Notable Quotes & Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote/Moment | |-------------|---------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 04:05 | Allison Gill | “You want to be a bigoted dick face? Well, then you also have to fly the pride flag where we say it's Stonewall.” | | 06:14 | Allison Gill | “This is unconscionable. So I have filed a Freedom of Information act request for those letters confiscated from the children by ICE.” | | 10:38 | DHS Employee (via AG) | “If you come in the main hallway, though, you'll never know you're walking into a demolition zone with asbestos in the air.” | | 13:36 | Allison Gill | “If you strip out all of the conspiracy theories, there's no probable cause for the warrant in the first place.” | | 16:04 | Stephen Colbert (paraphrased via AG) | “…They knew damn well that every word of my script last night was approved by CBS lawyers who for the record approve every script that goes on the air...” | | 18:46 | Allison Gill | “It's so fucked up... If you manage your diabetes [with medication], your blood sugar doesn't count. You get no compensation for your disability.” | | 28:17 | Phil Williams | “Where they had once been part of a Venn diagram, they had fed off of each other to the point that they were almost indistinguishable at times.” | | 29:29 | Phil Williams | “All three... are driven... by this sense of anxiety about losing control—whether it’s the browning of America, rising political influence of women, or declining influence of religious institutions.” | | 30:09 | Phil Williams | “They are willing to sacrifice democracy if necessary in order to maintain control.” | | 36:32 | Phil Williams | “The term re migration was originally popularized by a neo Nazi from Europe named Martin Selner. And so you have a term that began with far right European neo Nazis that has now become a part of mainstream American political discourse...” |

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Good News & Activism

[47:37-end]

• Listeners share community shout-outs, good news, and activism:
  • Spotlights on organizations aiding farm workers and demilitarization.
  • Heartfelt tributes to educators striking for fair treatment.
  • Community health and recovery stories.
  • Ongoing calls for public comments against new VA rules harming veterans.
  • Animal adoption and feel-good anecdotes.

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Intro & News Rundown: 01:02–24:35
• Phil Williams Interview:
  • Introduction & motivations: 24:35–27:11
  • The triple threat & mainstreaming hate: 27:11–38:13
  • Radicalization & recruitment: 38:13–43:49
  • Substack & call to action: 43:49–44:54
• Listener Good News & Activism: 47:37–end

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Tone and Style

• Mix of fierce critique, empathy, and dark humor (“snark”)
• Deep concern for social justice and marginalized communities
• Candid, sometimes explicit language (“dick face,” “fuck,” “bullshit”)
• Commitment to accessible news, community organizing, and direct action

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Summary Takeaway

This episode of The Daily Beans delivers a sobering look at the rise and mainstreaming of organized hate in the U.S., government failures on immigrants’ and veterans’ rights, and the critical importance of investigative journalism, activism, and engaged, educated communities. Phil Williams’ deep-dive into “Hate Comes to Main Street” is essential listening for understanding extremist threats—and the imperative to shine sunlight on them. The episode closes with grassroots hope, mutual support, and reminders that action—whether legal challenges, public comment, or just spreading good news—matters.

Transcript

[Allison Gill]

Hi, I'm Frances Collier. And I'm Angela V. Shelton. And we're Frangela. You know what you mean in your life. The Final Word podcast. Yes, you do.

[Dana Goldberg]

That's right.

[Allison Gill]

It is the final word on all things political and pop cultural, where we make real news, real funny, where we inspire you so you can resist. Subscribe and get a new episode of the Final Word podcast each week. It's the news we think you need to hear.

[Dana Goldberg]

That's right. We think you need to hear it.

[Allison Gill]

Okay. Yeah. It's what we say.

[Phil Williams]

So.

[Dana Goldberg]

That's right.

[Allison Gill]

And because all we do is give. Every Thursday, you can listen to our hysterical podcast, idiot of the Week. We round up the stupid. Because you know what? Somebody has to. Okay? All we do is give MSW media. News whis. Daily beans.

[Dana Goldberg]

Daily beans.

[Allison Gill]

Daily beans. Daily beans. Hello and welcome to the Daily beans for Thursday, February 19, 2026. Today, Fulton county blasts the search warrant affidavit for its election offices as blatantly unconstitutional. A group of nonprofits is suing the Trump administration over the Stonewall Pride flag removal. ICE officers raided the Dilley concentration camp dormitories to confiscate and destroy letters from children that are held there. Stephen Colbert bites back as CBS lawyers put out a statement on the Talarico interview. The Trump administration just slashed veterans disability benefits. St. Paul police are investigating the ICE arrest that resulted in skull fractures that DHS claims the man did to himself. The Department of Education is backing down on its unlawful directive targeting educational equity. And Kristi Noem exposes everyone at DHS to asbestos poisoning. I'm Allison Gill.

[Dana Goldberg]

And I'm Dana Goldberg.

[Allison Gill]

Happy Asbestos Thursday, my friend.

[Dana Goldberg]

Happy Asbestos Thursday. We made through the taint of the week, and I think we're going forward and not back, hopefully.

[Allison Gill]

I know which way is asbestos.

[Dana Goldberg]

I know. I want to say just a quick thank you to everyone who already joined my Patreon, Alison. We've just got good people listening. We've got a good crew that started. There's obviously a free option to join, and there's other levels that, as you know, come with certain benefits and zooms and things like that. But we've already got a bunch of dissenters that are hanging out in the dugout. And so if you want to join my Patreon with the rest of these folks, you can go to danagoldberg.com hit patreon and join me. And for those of you that joined at a level, I appreciate all the support in my art and I'm going to give it back tenfold.

[Allison Gill]

Hell, yeah. That's amazing. Great news, everybody. Some other great news. Later in the show, I'm going to be talking with Nashville's nosiest bitch, Phil Williams. That's what John Oliver calls him, by the way, that he needs a moniker. He, he wears with pride. We're going to be talking about his new substack called Hate Comes to Main Street. He investigates, you know, white supremacy and domestic violent extremism. And he's really, really good at it. So we'll talk to him later in the show. I'm excited about that discussion.

[Dana Goldberg]

All right. That's gonna be wonderful. We do have some great news. A group of nonprofits filed a lawsuit in federal court on Tuesday against the Trump administration. The lawsuit, led by a foundation honoring Gilbert Baker, the artist who created the Rainbow flag in 1978, seeks to restore the official pride flag to the monument in Greenwich Village. This is a big deal. In this lawsuit, the Gilbert Baker foundation argued that the pride flag fell under one of the allowed exceptions to provide historical context at a national monument. This is the exception that allows Confederate flags to also be flown at properties managed by the Park Service, including Gettysburg National Military Park.

[Allison Gill]

Oh, look at that.

[Dana Goldberg]

Look at that. It's okay for ye, but not for thee, huh?

[Allison Gill]

Oh, you want to be a bigoted dick face? Well, then you also have to fly the pride flag where we say it's stonewall.

[Dana Goldberg]

Seriously? That's fantastic.

[Allison Gill]

It really, really is. That is good news. So thanks for telling us about that. We've got so much news to get to today, Dana. We should hit the hot notes. Hot notes. All right, let's start with ice today. This is from me@mueller she wrote.com. this week, ProPublica reported that a rainbow, a family portrait, a heart. These are some of the drawings found in handwritten letters from children detained at the Dilley Immigration Processing center in South Texas. In early February, there were more than 750 families, nearly half of them including children, as well as some 370 single adult women being held at this facility. It is just one of many immigration centers across the country, but the only one holding families. Since the start of the Trump administration, the number of children in Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention has skyrocketed, increasing six fold. Now, ProPublica received letters in mid January from several children at Dilley. All but two of them had been living in the United States when they were detained. In their words and drawings, they convey how much they ache for creature comforts and describe the anguish of being trapped. They write about missing their friends and their teachers, falling behind in school, having unreliable access to medical care when they're sick. Some say they're sick a lot and they feel scared about what comes next. Now, three days later, that's the ProPublica reporting. Three days after that, during a House Homeland Security hearing, Rep. James Walkinshaw read some of those handwritten letters and shared drawings from the children held in the ICE Family Detention center and then questioned ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons about them. Then two days ago, February 17, on Tuesday, Tuesday night actually, Pablo Manriquez with the Migrant Insider News Network reported, quote, staff at the ICE concentration camp in Dilly, Texas, have begun raiding the dormitories of kids and their parents to confisc destroy letters from children.

[Dana Goldberg]

Hell. What the hell?

[Allison Gill]

This is unconscionable. So I have filed a Freedom of Information act request for those letters confiscated from the children by ICE.

[Dana Goldberg]

Amazing. Absolutely amazing.

[Allison Gill]

My request says. On the 17th of February 2026, journalist Pablo Manriquez reported. Quote, update. Staff at the ICE concentration camp in Dilly, Texas, have begun raiding the dormitories of kids and their parents to confiscate and destroy letters from the children. On behalf of MSW Media, I request copies of all papers seized, confiscated or otherwise collected from detainees at the Dilley Immigration processing center between the 9th of February and the date that the search for responsive records is conducted, and specifically not the date this request was submitted. Please release all records in electronic form. For the same reasons that MSW Media is entitled to a public interest fee waiver, it's entitled to expedited processing. There is an urgent need exemplified by the ProPublica story, to report on these letters and ICE's reported seizure to prohibit their disclosure is of significant public concern. So I will keep everyone posted on how this FOIA request goes.

[Dana Goldberg]

Thanks so much, Alison. This is from cbs. Minnesota and federal authorities are investigating the alleged beating of a Mexican citizen by immigration officers last month, seeking to identify what caused the eight skull fractures that landed the man in intensive care unit of Minneapolis Hospital. Investigators from the St. Paul Police Department and FBI last week canvassed the shopping center parking lot where Alberto Can Mondon says Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents wrestled him from a vehicle, threw him to the ground and repeatedly struck him in the head with a steel baton. ICE has blamed Constanta Mandon for his own injuries, saying he attempted to flee while handcuffed left and fell and hit his head against a concrete wall. But hospital staff who treated the man told the Associated Press such a fall could not plausibly account for the man's brain hemorrhaging and fragmented memory. A CT scan showed fractures to the front, back and both sides of his skull. Injuries, a doctor told the Associated Press, were inconsistent with the fall. Earlier this month, the AP published an interview with Castanera Mondragon in which he said the arresting officers had been racist and started beating me right away when they arrested me. His lawyers have contended ICE racially profiled him. The investigations came amid another federal probe into whether two ICE officers lied under oath about a shooting in Minneapolis. They did.

[Allison Gill]

They did.

[Dana Goldberg]

Federal prosecutors dropped charges against two Venezuelan men who had been accused of attacking one of the officers with a snow shovel and a broom handle. Another video evidence contradicted the officer sworn testimony. I'm sorry, there's video that contradicts your sworn testimony, sir. Would you like to fix your statement?

[Allison Gill]

Would you like to revise your bullshit story?

[Dana Goldberg]

I know. The FBI, meanwhile, notified Minnesota authorities last week it would not share any information or evidence it collected in the January 24 fatal shooting of Alex Preddy by federal immigration officers. That killing is subject of a Justice Department civil rights investigation. Which we know they're not going to do a fucking thing.

[Allison Gill]

Nope. And over at ICE's parent agency, DHS, this is from TNR. When Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem demanded the urgent demolition of her agency's 171-year-old campus in D.C. she claimed the structures were unsafe. But it turns out the more immediate threat to workers wasn't the presence of malicious insiders looking to exploit the site's weaknesses. It's asbestos. That's according to Migrant Insider.

[Dana Goldberg]

Oh, look at that department.

[Allison Gill]

Homeland Security employees who worked at the agency's facilities in St. Elizabeth's describe workers in full hazmat suits working alongside plainclothes DHS staff. It's surreal, one former DHS aide told Migrant Insider. You've got guys in full PPE taking out asbestos and then us DHS staff in shirts and ties walking around, walking right by, breathing the same air. Employees were not offered masks or air quality tests, let alone remote work options. And the site lacks proper signage alerting workers of the presence of harmful carcinogens. Quote, there's one small sign and a side entrance indicating the area is a health hazard. The former A told Migrant Insider. If you come in the main hallway, though, you'll never know you're walking into a demolition zone with asbestos in the air. Fantastic.

[Dana Goldberg]

Oh, my God. All right, next up from Democracy Docket, the search warrant affidavit that initiated the FBI's unprecedented raid on an election facility in Fulton County, Georgia, last month failed to provide evidence that a crime had been committed and relied on a smorgasbord and I quote of witness speculation from biased sources, county officials alleged in a new court filing Tuesday. The filings, which shreds the logic behind the raid, marks the county's latest effort to reclaim the material seized by the FBI during the raid, including the original and only copy of Fulton County's 2020 election records. It also makes a startling allegation that the search warrant was granted despite the FBI, lacking probable cause. Seems important that a crime had been committed. A Democracy Dockered analysis of the affidavit found that the raid was based on statements from notorious conspiracy theorists and election deniers, some of whom now work for the Trump administration. Fulton county previously asked a federal court to order the government to return the documents because the raid violated the constitutional rights of voters and the state of Georgia. However, after the affidavit's release, a federal judge allowed the county to amend its motion. In their new filing, Fulton county officials blasted the FBI and Special Agent Evans for deliberately omitting information that would have discredited allegations made by certain witnesses. As an example, they noted that witness number seven in the affidavit was likely Kevin Moncla, an election denier who claims about the 2020 election had been repeatedly rejected. Though it relied upon representations made by Moncla, county officials noted that the FBI failed to note that he had reportedly been referred to the Bureau in 2023 for threatening state officials, including an aide to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

[Allison Gill]

Oh, that's you. You're just going to leave that out of your Yep. Okay. Okay.

[Dana Goldberg]

Seems important. In addition, and this is a quote. In addition to omitting material facts that rule out any nefarious explanations for the supposed deficiencies or defects in the 2020 elections, Evans failed to disclose the overwhelming biases and credibility issues plaguing the witnesses up. He relies this is from county officials, they said in the new motion. This is hardly a collection of unbiased or credible experts. That's what they added. In addition to relying on dubious witnesses, the county alleged that Evans also failed to sufficiently present evidence that a crime occurred, a basic standard required by the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution. But they don't give a about the Fourth Amendment anymore, so this tracks.

[Allison Gill]

Good Lord. Oh my God. Not even evidence of a yeah, they basically said if you strip out all of the conspiracy theories, there's no probable cause for the warrant in the first place. We'll see what happens. I mean, if they lied to a judge to get this warrant, remember when they, they felt like because the Steele dossier was included in an application for a FISA warrant for Carter Page, that the whole thing should have been scrapped because they lied to the judge to get the warrant.

[Dana Goldberg]

Okay.

[Allison Gill]

Anyway, next up, we have an update on the Stephen Colbert Talarico thing. This is from NBC. Stephen Colbert took on his own network again Tuesday, pushing back against CBS's statement regarding his unaired interview with Democratic candidate for Senate. Holding up the company statement on a piece of paper, Colbert joked, now this is a surprisingly small piece of paper considering how many butts it's trying to cover. The statement came after Colbert claimed Monday that CBS pushed him not to air an interview that he'd done with Texas state Rep. James Talarico, who's running for Senate. Colbert, who is parting ways with CBS in May, said the company has been worried about possible legal action from the Trump administration. In response to that whole thing that we talked about yesterday, CBS put out a statement saying the Late show was not prohibited by CBS from broadcasting the interview with James Talarico. The show was provided legal guidance that the broadcast could trigger the FCC equal time rule for two other candidates, including Jasmine Crockett, and presented options for how the equal time for other candidates could be fulfilled. The Late show decided to present the interview through its YouTube channel with on air promotion on the broadcast rather than potentially providing the equal time options. So in a seven minute monologue last night, Colbert fired back, reading the statement and adding, now, clearly this statement was written by and I'm guessing for lawyers. Yeah, now I'm not a lawyer and I don't want to tell them how to do their jobs, but since they seem intent on telling me how to do mine, here we go. Colbert went on to say he was aware that they could book other guests. He's like, I've booked guests, I know how to book guests. He noted. Jasmine Crockett, who's Talarico's primary opponent for the Democratic nomination for the Senate race in Texas, has been on his show twice. And then he noted he obeyed the network's guidance and put the video on YouTube because they told him to. He goes, but here's where I do want to tell the lawyers how to do their jobs. They knew damn well that every word of my script last night was approved by CBS lawyers who for the record approve every script that goes on the air, whether it's about equal time or this image of frogs having sex. That's a true story, but it's for another time. He likes frog orgies too. See guys, he goes very specifically between the monologue I did last night and before I did the second act talking about the issue. I had to go backstage. I got called backstage to get more notes from these lawyers, something that had never ever happened before. And they told us the language they wanted me to use to describe that equal time exception. And I used that language. So I don't know what this is about. Gesturing toward the piece of paper, he went on to say he didn't want to have an adversarial relationship with cbs, but said, I'm just so surprised that this giant global corporation would not stand up to these bullies. Come on, you're paramount. No, no, no, you're more than that. You're paramount. Plus Colbert then finished on a somber but humorous note, quote, and for the lawyers to release this without even talking to me is really surprising. I don't even know what to do with this crap. That's what he said before pulling out a doggy bag and picking up the statement as if it were a piece of dog poop throwing it in the trash.

[Dana Goldberg]

Oh my God, he's so good.

[Allison Gill]

We're going to show you this clip over on Beans Talk today, so tune in for that so you can see it.

[Dana Goldberg]

So good. All right. This was from Stars and Stripes. Veterans and their advocates slammed a new rule by the Department of Veterans affairs for determining disability compensation, predicting it will lower their payments for service related illnesses and injuries. The rule, effective immediately, states that a disability level must be based on how well a veteran functions while on medication and not on the underlying impairment itself. A public comment period opened Tuesday and will run through April 20th through the rules have already gone into effect. And this is a quote, the action will have no impact on any veteran's current disability rating. This is from Peter Kasparowitz. He's the veteran press secretary. Disabled American Veterans also issued a statement expressing alarm and accusing the VA of conducting an unnecessarily expedited rulemaking process that effectively shut out veterans from providing any meaningful input. Charles Gabbarino, a retired army colonel and physician who served for three tours in Iraq, predicted that many veterans will stop taking their medication. And he said a lot of veterans prescribed medication for their service related medical problems will cut it off rather than lose compensation. This is from Gamma Reno. That seems dangerous. Absolutely dangerous.

[Allison Gill]

It's so fucked up to be like if let's say that the military gave you diabetes somehow, right? But if you're on insulin and you manage, your blood sugar doesn't count. You get no compensation for your disability.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yeah.

[Allison Gill]

And then like for me with ptsd, if I function better on my medication, they take away my disability benefits, which would cause me to stop taking my medication.

[Dana Goldberg]

Right.

[Allison Gill]

Of course, if I have to choose between paying my fucking mortgage and taking my, you know, like, it's just a stage. Astounding. I told you, I told you they were going to come after veterans benefits. And these veterans did not believe me. They didn't believe me. They're like, you're crazy. You're going, they're never going to touch veterans benefits.

[Dana Goldberg]

Oh, really?

[Allison Gill]

They just did. And that comment period open till April 20, it's. They don't give a. What anybody has to say in that comment period. The rules are already in effect. It went into effect immediately. And, you know, they did this. They had that open comment period for getting rid of abortion care in emergency situations at the Department of Veterans Affairs. They're like, oh, yeah, we'll have a comment period. They didn't. They ignored all the comments. There were hundreds of them. Anyway, here's some good news, at least some better news from the aclu. In a victory for academic freedom and education equity, the Department of Education conceded to end its February 14th Dear Colleague directive that sought to restrict diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in schools and higher education institutions nationwide. Upon the US's concession that the directive and subsequent certification requirement are vacated, meaning they're formally nullified, the district court issued a final ruling today permanently invalidating the directive and preventing the government from enforcing, relying on, or reviving it. As a result, the challenged guidance is no longer in effect and cannot be enforced against anyone, anywhere, nationwide. Quote, this ruling affirms what educators and communities have long known. Celebrating the full existence of every person and sharing the truth about our history is essential. That's Sharif El Mekhi, CEO at the center for Black Educator Development, went on to say, today's decision protects educators livelihoods and their responsibility to teach honestly. At a time when many communities are facing severe teacher shortages, the signals that teachers can enter and stay in the profession, bringing their full selves into the classroom and fostering inclusive environments that prepare students for the future. So that is a little bit of good news in this hellscape, this darkness, this hellscape. Yeah, very well put. All right, we're going to be right back with Phil Williams and then we'll hit the good news. Stick around. We'll be right back. Hey, everybody. One of the most useful things Rocket money did for me was highlight how much I was overspending on everyday treats, dining out, order in, delivery, small shopping purchases. They were adding up in the background when I wasn't paying close attention. But Rocket Money made that pattern obvious, which made it easier to create a budget that matched how I wanted to spend. 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Go to rocketmoney.com beans to join. That's rocketmoney.com beans rocketmoney.com beans History is messy. It's weird, wild and anything but boring. Rainy Day Rabbit Holes is a history podcast about unhinged stories that make you stop and ask, wait, is this real life? From crazy disasters and tasty scandals to enlightening and surprising heartwarming tales, we explore the moments where people behave badly and sometimes beautifully. We've got naughty politicians, cultural chaos and a deep love for the Pacific Northwest, including Bigfoot. It's thoughtful, irreverent, occasionally serious, and always entertaining. Let's fall down the rabbit hole. MSW Media. We're live. I'm here with with who that John Oliver refers to as the nosiest bitch in Nashville. He's a one of he's a journalist's journalist. He's an investigative reporter at News Channel 5 in Nashville and he's uncovered some incredible SC from Neo Nazis in his state and Christian nationalism and white supremacy hate groups up to and including Andy Ogles who ended up your reporting ended up getting him at least the start of an investigation by the FBI which was I think quickly quashed when Donald Trump got into office. But Andy Ogles along the lines of a George Santos where he lied and used to fake funds in order to get state funds and national party funds and just Sort of embellished his resume from top to bottom, and you exposed that. So I just wanted to talk to you today and tell everybody about Phil's new substack that he just launched called Hate Comes to Main Street. Welcome, Phil Williams, to the Breakdown. Hey, Phil.

[Phil Williams]

Good afternoon and thanks for having me.

[Allison Gill]

It's great to see you. I know you and I have had multiple conversations, whether it's on the Daily Beans podcast or just talking offline a lot about some of the stuff that you see come up in your state. Talk a little bit about why you're going over to Substack, because it feels like there's sort of a mass exodus from corporate media. We just experienced this last night when FCC chair Brendan Carr said, absolutely, Colbert, you may not have James Talarico on your program, and you can't talk about not having him on your program because of the equal time rule, which doesn't apply to you, but we might apply it to you. There's just a lot of pressure, I think, from a lot of media controlled by billionaires and things like that. And so I'm very glad to see you here on Substack. Talk a little bit about your experience with that and your journalism locally that you've been doing for how long now?

[Phil Williams]

Gosh, 40 years.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yeah.

[Phil Williams]

And, you know, I think my situation is a bit different because I still have very strong support for. For my corporate bosses. I'm still, you know, doing my day job. Substack was just a way for me to broaden my impact because for two plus years now, I have really developed this singular focus, or nearly singular focus on the rise of hate and extremism in our country. Now, there's a lot of that that's been happening in my backyard, in Nashville, in Tennessee, but through the course of the last two years, I've just gained so much knowledge, so much insight that really is useful to a broader audience. And so I'm still working for my news station, I'm still producing investigative reports for my news station. But this gives me the ability to reach a broader audience, to look at some of the national impacts and not be so focused on just local impacts. And so this is just taking what I have done locally to the next step and hopefully bringing some national focus to these conversations.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah, and I think that that's critical right now, especially with all of these hate groups that are cropping up everywhere that you've been covering. Talk a little bit. And I just want to let everybody know, if you see me looking away, I take notes like an Old school college student. So that's.

[Dana Goldberg]

If I'm, if I seem to be.

[Allison Gill]

Looking away, I'm taking notes from, from the invaluable Phil Williams here on journalism writ large. But talk a lot of talk about some of the work that you've done for news Channel 5 investigates and, and how you want to carry that over to a broader audience.

[Phil Williams]

Well, this project, you know, hate comes to mainstreet.com really began more than two years ago. And this is how John Oliver came to recognize my work when I covered a local race for mayor in an affluent community just south of Nashville, Franklin, Tennessee. And in that situation, you had a neo Nazi group show up to provide security in air quotes to this candidate. And for me, it was a real awakening that, holy crap, if they feel so emboldened that they can come into the middle of this very strong Republican county and provide security for a candidate, something is going on in America. Something is going on that neo Nazis think it's okay for them to come out of the closet. And so that was really the launch pad for this conversation. As my investigation expanded to different things, I was starting to notice, I really became aware that what I had normally thought of in the past as white supremacy and anti Semitism being one thing, Christian nationalism being another thing, QAnon being a third element of extremism, that they were really a triple threat. That where they had once been part of a, you know, perhaps a Venn diagram, they had fed off of each other to the point that they were almost indistinguishable at times. And, and so that's really, you know, what launched me on this journey now, what, what I've come to understand and, and, and think I understand over the last two years is, number one, all three of those elements are driven, as we've seen so many times, they're driven by this sense of anxiety about losing control. Whether it's, you know, the Browning of America, whether it's the rising political influence of women stepping forth and having a larger role in society, or if it's the declining influence of religious institutions, that there is a sense of anxiety that seems to permeate this triple threat that I've come to recognize. And then the second way in which they are very similar is they're willing to sacrifice democracy if necessary in order to maintain control. And so that's what I now see as the sort of triple threat that we as a country are facing.

[Allison Gill]

Now, let's talk about the underpinning there, that framework, because it seems like the motivating the animus, so to speak, of these groups. And that triple threat is, you know, what you're referring to, what we often hear referred to as the Great Replacement Theory. There were studies done that many of the people who were at January 6th weren't from deep red, ruby red districts, they came from purple districts. And they had this fear and anxiety of what this, it was the Great Replacement Theory. We see it at Charlottesville when that Unite the Right march happened. It seems to be a framework of philosophy motivating and underpinning sort of this movement and all coming out of the closets, so to speak, out onto Main street, hence the name hate. Hate comes to Main Street. And I wanted to ask you how you've seen that evolve because we know when Biden was in office and, and the FBI, Christopher Wray were looking into the number one terrorist threat against the United States. It all comes out to be domestic violent extremism. Right. These sorts of groups, the kind that you investigated at News Channel 5 that sort of brought you to the forefront and got you the John Oliver attention. How has that evolved? They seem to be more and more emboldened, almost at an exponential rate.

[Phil Williams]

Yeah, and we saw that just this past week with the, the nomination hearing for Jeremy Carl to a State Department post. I mean, his foundational beliefs are based on the Great Replacement Theory. And, and I think this is a good example when I talk about the triple threat that, you know, white supremacists are motivated by the Great Replacement Theory. We're seeing white Christian nationalists motivated by the Great Replacement Theory. We're seeing QANON buy into the Great Replacement Theory. So that that's a prime example of what we're facing. You know, I think for me the most recent example of how that is such a serious concern is back in November. There's an annual conference held at a state park just outside of Nashville called the American Renaissance Conference. It's put on by a group called American Renaissance that was very influential with Stephen Miller. Some, some emails from his early political days show that he was buying into their, what's called scientific racism, where they're looking for so called intellectual arguments to justify their beliefs. The American Renaissance Conference was one of the early proponents of this notion of re migration, which we see has now become an official administration. Talking points in places at that conference I decided, because it's off limits to the press, I decided to stake out the security checkpoint and to see who I could identify that was attending the conference. The thing that really jumped out at me this time and this is the second conference that I have tried to cover is a number of the attendees are people who buy into their great replacement theory and they're willing to justify political violence if necessary to respond to their fears and their anxieties. So I think that's a cautionary tale of what I saw at the American Renaissance Conference, which was you have people there who like what's happening right now with the administration, wish the administration would go further, and they're okay with political violence if they don't achieve their ends. And so I think that's the real concern that my reporting has highlighted. And that Hate Comes to Main street is hopefully going to spotlight.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah, and it's been percolating for a long time. It was always on the sidelines. It was always fringe. I mean, I remember hearing rumblings when I was in high school in the 90s, in the 80s and 90s, about, you know, we're going to soon be a minority majority and what's going to happen and how is that going to play out. But it was always fringe. It was always this weird neo Nazi sort of. You know, there was a lot of that sort of activity in the 90s in a lot of states like Arizona and Idaho. And now it's gotten into the federal government. We see the use of. Of Nazi propaganda by the Department of Homeland Security. We see Kristi Noem giving press conferences at a podium that says, one of.

[Phil Williams]

Your.

[Allison Gill]

One of ours, all of yours. Right. Which is an old slogan. We see those sort of propaganda style of posters that are shared across social media. And now that very fringe theory has made its way not into just mainstream media politics and on Main street like you've been covering for years now, but into the levers of power, into the White House, into Congress, into the halls of Congress. That's what makes this such an emergency, is because they are now, they now are using these giant levers of political power to put forward this very loud, however unpopular fringe sort of thing to make it seem like everybody loves it. It.

[Phil Williams]

Yeah, the. The term re migration was originally popular, popularized by a neo Nazi from Europe named Martin Selner. And so you have a term that began with far right European neo Nazis that has now become a part of mainstream American political discourse, at least from one party. And so that's a symptom of what we're facing. And the reason I have called this work Hate Comes to Main street is that I think this was percolating in our local communities for years and we just did not recognize it. For example, the American Renaissance Conference has not been covered by media in many years. And so this was all sort of happening under our noses. And I likened it to a brush fire. You know, sometimes people say to me, you know, why do you give these characters oxygen? Well, the fact is, this was a brush fire that was already burning. It already had oxygen. And the fact that it was unattended allowed it to grow from a brush fire into a wild fire. And so that. That's why I'm doing this work. And I think, again, coming back to the. The title Hate Comes to Main Street. You know, once it had established roots on Main street, then it was only a matter of time before it found its way to Pennsylvania Avenue.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah, that's a very, very good point. And, you know, along those same lines about that conference not usually being covered, I don't think anybody had ever watched the certification of an election on January 6th until 2021. You know, like, oh, I didn't even know we could watch this. I don't even think it was previously televised.

[Phil Williams]

And speaking of January 6th, by spending so much time in this sort of dark side of the world, I was reading an essay written by one of these characters that was at the American Renaissance Conference Conference. And before President Trump took office for his second term, he had posted about the need to pardon the J6 perpetrators. And his argument was, if you don't pardon them, then you're leaving it open that the. The 2020 election was not rigged. And so pardoning the J6 defendants was part of the COVID story because you couldn't leave them in jail if you were going to continue to say that the election was rigged.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah, yeah. I mean, so many aspects of this just sort of boil down to this once fringe theory that is now, like you said, come to Main Street. Talk a little bit before I let you go. About what, folks, first of all, subscribe to Phil's Substack and tell us what people can expect if they subscribe when they subscribe to Hate Comes to Main street here on Substack.

[Phil Williams]

Yeah, in the first few weeks of this, I'm mainly focusing on how I got here to kind of allow the viewers to catch up with me and to focus on how this journey began. But I'm also trying to record one insightful interview every week. So posting later this week is an interview with Michael Primo, who is the filmmaker behind a wonderful documentary called Homegrown, who was. He was embedded with members of the Proud boys prior to J6 and ended up following them to the US Capitol. And one of the things he and I talked about as I'm trying to understand the root causes of what we're facing is that it really jumped out at me watching his documentary that a lot of these characters were really energized or, or they were brought to this point by the economic and inequality that we are facing as a country. You know, the experts had warned us that, you know, that sort of inequality would have consequences. And in talking to Michael Primo about Homegrown, it was clear to me that that was one of the factors that played into J6. So I just want people. I hope people will join me@main street.com on this journey because I'm trying to wrap my head around what I'm seeing. I'm trying to wrap my head around things I'm continuing to learn. And so hopefully this will be a journey that we can all travel together.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah. And that I'm gonna definitely check out that documentary. You say it's called Homegrown?

[Phil Williams]

Homegrown.

[Allison Gill]

It reminds me of, you know, one of the cause. I always wondered too, how this is perpetrated. But, you know, they prey on young, angry men who feel like they've been left behind and give them someone to blame and give them a family and a community. And I always think back to that brillian monologue by Ed Norton in American History X when he's out recruiting young men to become part of his neo Nazi, you know, skinhead group. And it was all based on that. It was based on that. You know, you're alone, you, everything sucks for you, and we're going to take care of you and here's why you need to be angry. And I always kind of think back to that when I'm trying to figure out why anybody would abandon their values. Especially if you say that you're Christian to go this way. And it's a recruitment. They're groomed, they're preyed upon, these young men. It's not different from what we've seen with the girls in the Epstein files. Vulnerable girls who need a hand up and feel very alone in the world are very vulnerable to this kind of recruitment. And I think, think, you know, I, I just always kind of go back to that and, and try to understand it from that perspective.

[Phil Williams]

Yeah, one of the. And Michael Primo and I talk about this in the video. I think it post Thursday. One of the characters is a guy named Chris. He has everything to lose. He has a wife who is in late stages of pregnancy. He has a. A child on the way, and he is so blinded by this rage and this sense of being betrayed by the system that that he's willing to risk it all and to to go to the Capitol and engage in the assault on police officers. So it's a great conversation and that's a good example of the type of conversations I hope to engage in as this goes along.

[Allison Gill]

Well, I look forward to it. I'm going to subscribe and recommend your substack. I suggest everyone else to do the same. Also, if you haven't subscribed to the Breakdown, would love that as well. All my content is is free. I don't so, you know, hey, it's as is mine. It's totally free. Yeah. As you know, I often talk to Wajaha Ali. We always call ourselves bad capitalists because we don't put any of our information behind a paywall and so appreciate that about hate comes to Main street too. It's just so important that we educate ourselves on this rising hate that is now permeated our federal government and how we can push back against it, expose it like you've been doing for years with news Channel 5 Investigates and now you'll be doing on substack and bring sunlight to the situation because an educated electorate is is a powerful one. So I appreciate all the work that.

[Phil Williams]

You'Re doing and a shout out to my bosses as well. You can also see the work I've done for [e-mail] Hate wonderful.

[Allison Gill]

Thank you so much. Phil Williams.

[Phil Williams]

Thank you, my friend.

[Allison Gill]

If you do, everybody, if you get a chance, you got to watch that piece by John Oliver about Phil Williams. It's awesome. So thank you so much, everybody. Thanks for being here and I appreciate your time today.

[Dana Goldberg]

Phil Williams, Good to see you. Hey everybody.

[Allison Gill]

It's cold and rainy. It's winter. So I'm spending more time indoors lately and that means means more time in my bedroom. I love sleep. Sleep is my favorite thing. Reading, decompressing, watching a movie, trying to stay warm and comfortable. That's why I keep coming back to how important sleep really is. And I've had my Helix mattress for years now. I'm talking years. And it's held up as a genuine quality of life upgrade ever since. Good night's rest sets you apart and sets you up for a great day. And Helix sets itself apart from all of the other mattress brands. I can really feel the difference when I wake up in the morning because my old mattress mattress was not helping me sleep. It was designed for someone else. I had a classic combo of back pain and restless tossing, plus nights where I'd wake up overheated, covered in sweat, irritated. Helix fixed the problems I thought I just had to live with. I slept more comfortably. I wake up with less stress, less stiffness. I get a deeper, calmer kind of rest. It's amazing. And if you're thinking about upgrading, Helix makes it simple to get the right fit. The Sleep Quiz matches you to a mattress based on your sleep style and preferences, which takes a lot of guesswork out of the process. They ship free in the US and deliver right to your door. You can try it for 120 nights risk free. It comes with a limited lifetime warranty as well. Helix also has the Happy with Helix guarantee for easy returns and exchanges. They are the most awarded mattress brand with recognition from outlets like Forbes and Wired. I love my Helix mattress and so will you. Go to helixsleep.com dailybeans for 27% off site wide President's Day sale exclusive for the Daily Beans listener. That's helixsleep.com dailybeans For 27% off site wide exclusive for listeners of the beans so make sure you enter our show name after checkout so they know we sent you. Helixsleep.com dailybeans helix better sleep starts Now.

[Amanda Sturgill]

It's no surprise that newsmakers try to manipulate the audience. They want you to believe that they are the one holding the line, and they'll use any trick they can to get you there.

[Allison Gill]

But don't let them fool you.

[Amanda Sturgill]

Get Unspun I'm Amanda Sturgill. I've been a reporter and today I teach future reporters to cut the spin and think critically about what newsmakers say. My podcast, Unspun, shows you how to know when you're being manipulated by the news, learn to spot the tricks and how to make up your own mind about what's true. So if you're tired of being fooled by the news, subscribe to Unspun today. Unspun because you deserve the truth.

[Dana Goldberg]

Truth.

[Allison Gill]

Everybody. Welcome back. It's time for the good news. Who likes good news?

[Dana Goldberg]

Everyone?

[Allison Gill]

Then Good news everyone. Good news. And if you have any good news or good trouble suggestions or a shout out to yourself, a small business in your area, a loved one, a government program that's helped you or a loved one. We would love to hear about it. Anything that will put a little smile on our face. It can be your favorite joke. It can be misheard song lyrics. It can be what do we oh, something you've been mispronouncing your whole Life. And you just realized that it's not pronounced that way.

[Dana Goldberg]

Persephone.

[Allison Gill]

Everybody's got a good one for that. Yeah, like the word awry, you know, I'd heard it, but until I saw it in writing, I was like, what the fuck is that word? That's. No, it's not proper. Anything like that. That'll put a smile on our face. Please send it into us. Dailybeanspod.com click on Contact. All you gotta do to get your submission read on the air is pay your POD pet tariff, which means attach a photo of your pet. If you don't have a pet, send an adoptable pet in your area. We'll see if we can find him a home. If you don't have that, just grab a random animal photo off the Internet. Send us a bird watching photo which can be a bird or you flipping the bird to Trump Properties. We love those photos. Maybe you've got signs from rallies that you've been to or, or photos of signs, rallies that you've been to. You can send those to us. Send us what you're making or creating. Maybe you've got chickens you're raising or goats that you're milking or cats that you're milking in Motown. Whatever it is, send it to us at Daily Beanspod. Oh, family pictures, baby pictures. Send all your baby pictures too. Dailybeanspod.com click on Contact. First up is your good trouble. And you're good trouble. My producers put a quote from me at the beginning. I told you they'd come after veterans benefits. So as I say veterans slam the new VA rule. Veterans and their advocates slam this rule by the VA for determining disability compensation, predicting it will lower payments for service related illness and injuries. And it'll probably also chase a bunch of veterans off their medication, the medication they need to survive. So it's titled Evaluative Rating impact of medication. The interim final rule was published in the Federal Register and affects how the VA rates a veteran's disability for new claims. They actually said in their little memo, dana, we can't be burdened with evaluating veterans disabilities.

[Dana Goldberg]

Oh, off.

[Allison Gill]

I know. So like I said, there's a public comment period which is probably. But let's flood the out of this with comments anyway. We will have a link in the show notes to comment to the Federal Register. We really appreciate, I personally really appreciate you leaving a comment like that. And, and you know, even if it's just to say you're going to make veterans stop taking their medications, it's going to increase Veteran suicide. Maybe start there.

[Dana Goldberg]

Absolutely. It's a great place to start. All right, this is from Carrie Pronoun. She and her hello. First, I wanted to thank you ladies for bringing independent media into our lives. Having a source for news we wouldn't always hear. Listening to corporate media has been invaluable, especially in these trying times. Second, for those of us in Central Valley, California area, I wanted to give a shout out to the Western Farm Workers association in Stockton, California. Information about all volunteer organization can be found on its website, which is wfwastockton.org we're going to have a link to that in the show notes so you don't have to memorize that. They are one of many local organizations helping our local farmers with the challenges they face doing this critical work. As we know, many if not most of these individuals are immigrants.

[Allison Gill]

Oh, the farm workers. I see.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yep, yep, yep. Some are here legally, some are here without legal status. Right now. The assistance Western Farm workers would like to offer is know your rights sessions to prepare farm workers for the Trump administration's outrageous attacks on their rights. I got in their list sort of by accident back in 2024 when I agreed to provide my name and contact information as part of a food drive that they were operating out of a local Save Mart here in San Joaquin County. Recently I was contacted to see if I could run a Know youw Rights session. Unfortunately, since I'm a government attorney, I could not. But I could and did contact my law school, Santa Clara Law to see if they could put me in touch with some alumni in the area who did not have my employment restrictions. If anyone in the San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Madera or Fresno counties are interested in helping out, they could really use some assistance. Jacob Grimm is the coordinator for the Know youw Rights sessions. In addition to these sessions, Western Farm workers are looking to connect farm workers with legal professionals who can provide other kinds of legal assistance and are looking for all kinds of non legal volunteers as well. For my podpet tariff, I'm submitting a picture of my former puppy, Toliver. Tolly was a very good boy who was not with me nearly long enough. He is a blank mix. Oh my God, I miss you, Tully.

[Allison Gill]

Is he a, I think old English sheepdog? Poodle. Poodle.

[Dana Goldberg]

I mean he's gotta be. He's adorable. Maybe there's some Maltese in there.

[Allison Gill]

He's amazing. He looks like, you know in the cartoons when they put a cat or a dog in the dryer and they come out and just like Poof out.

[Dana Goldberg]

There'S this dog for reference, which is not that. It's one of those dogs that almost looks like an excuse. Excuse me for saying this, but it looks like a mop. Like a mop. The threads of the mop.

[Allison Gill]

Oh, yeah, the komondor. I know that breed. Okay, so this is a common door. Something. Oh, my God.

[Dana Goldberg]

A common door, A common doodle.

[Allison Gill]

It's a mini poodle. Commodore.

[Dana Goldberg]

It's a common doodle.

[Allison Gill]

It's.

[Dana Goldberg]

It's a common dordle.

[Allison Gill]

Oh, my God.

[Dana Goldberg]

Oh, my God. That's so cute.

[Allison Gill]

Mix.

[Dana Goldberg]

I know.

[Allison Gill]

So cute. Oh, thank you so much for that. All right, next up, from Marie Pronoun. She and her. I'd like to shout out the Department of defense civilians and their subcontractors involved in the chemical demilitarization effort work on the destruction of the nation's treaty declared chemical munitions such as mustard, GB and VX gas. That work began in the late 1990s with the baseline sites Johnson Island, Umatilla, Deseret, Anniston and Pine Bluff. And it was completed in 2023 at the Bluegrass chemical agent destruction pilot plant, which is the BGCAPP in Richmond, Kentucky. Probably Big cap, right? Bgcapp. That's what I'm gonna say.

[Dana Goldberg]

Totally.

[Allison Gill]

After completion of agent operations at big cap, processing of secondary waste continued, and it was recently completed in 2025. The last remaining facilities in Pueblo, Colorado and Richmond, Kentucky are currently completing closures. For over three decades, these personnel worked to safely perform the environmentally compliant destruction of the US Chemical weapons stockpile. With some personnel active throughout the full program, they continue their dedication to the work during changes in program chain of command across multiple physical locations and during changes in political realities and or command directives. For a few, it may have been just a job job, but most were truly dedicated to the goals of the program. What a great shout out.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yeah.

[Allison Gill]

And the completion was in 2025 and it started in the 90s. Marie, thank you so much for that. Look at this sweet baby. For my pet tax, I submit the following good dogs from the Lexington humane Society. Adopt, don't shop. Look at the baby.

[Dana Goldberg]

He looks like a Shar Pei pitty. And then like a.

[Allison Gill]

Like a dachshund German shepherd. Yeah.

[Dana Goldberg]

It does.

[Allison Gill]

Oh, my God, they're so cute. They really. Look at them. Look at them. They really want homes. You can. You can see it in their eyes. Thank you for that great submission, Marie.

[Dana Goldberg]

All right, this is from tbuck pronoun. She and her. My daughter recently went into dka, a potentially fatal condition seen in diabetes. She spent a few days in ICU and it was terrifying. I am thrilled to say that she's recovered. She was released from the hospital and her personality is even brighter and shinier than before. I'm so very thankful and so are she and her wife. What a joy to share with you my podpet tacks. I'm sharing an image of her last summer at Pride Fest. I am so glad she's okay.

[Allison Gill]

That cozy is the best here. Queer holding a beer is what I love it. There goes he says. Oh man, what good news T Buck. Thank you so much for sharing that. Seriously. My gosh. All right Florence R she her hello illustrious Lagunati. I come to you with good tidings. I'm a cardiologist in Cincinnati and went part time during the pandemic to create what I call a community health center called the Heart of Northside. We grew healthy food right here in the neighborhood and teach our neighbors all the things they need to know for better heart health. Health Northside is both a food desert and a food swamp, meaning that fresh produce is hard to get but ultra processed fast food is everywhere. Our ultimate goal is to build a rooftop farm to grow enough food for the whole neighborhood and modernize our old commercial kitchen in what used to be a lovely old church. See photo attached an old church in the center of town. This will save millions in medical bills for my peeps and will become a road map for other communities to do the same thing. If anyone wants to help support our mission of health, please check out our website heartofnorthside.org the pet tax shows my grandkiddies, Millie, Taki and Daisy sharing a cuddle.

[Dana Goldberg]

Look at the kitties. They are so sweet. What a beautiful little shot of that town too.

[Allison Gill]

Oh man, I'm you know something about the Midwest and the old brick and the green trees. Yeah. My heart comes from I still I I enjoy San Diego. I like the no snow but man Midwest is gorgeous. Yeah.

[Dana Goldberg]

All right. This is Becky Pronoun she and her thank you for the news with swearing. I swear you're keeping me all of the Leguminati sane. I have a shout out and a love letter to every person who stood in solidarity with the United Educators of San Francisco during our historic four day strike. My husband and I have been teaching in San Francisco Unified school district for 21 and 25 years. Our son graduated from SFUSD and our daughter's a senior. We are completely invested in public school. It felt crazy but necessary to put both our Salaries on the line. We total conviction in this fight and felt so much power from our communities that we were able to channel the energy in the chant. One day longer, one day stronger. San Francisco showed up and stood with us on the picket lines, at our school sites, at our big rallies and marches as we fought for wages, health care, support for special education, sanctuary schools and st. Fully staffed schools. We're so grateful to every family who brought food and water, made signs, protested with us and came together as a community to help care for each other's children. Every honk, wave and fist in the air as you drove by gave us life. Teamsters, muni bus drivers, firefighters, police officers, meter maids, park and rec workers, city workers, we felt your solidarity. It gave us so much strength, huge props and love to our big bargaining team and the folks who organized our rallies. You put in so many hours over the last year. We're deeply appreciative of your effort and sacrifices. When we fight, we win. I never imagined a strike could be fun. But the chanting, the dancing, coming together at huge rallies was so vibrant and powerful. I enjoyed such awesome connections. Former colleagues, my kids, teachers, my husband's colleagues, former and current student teachers making new friends. It buoyed me up up to see so many beloved educators fighting together. Also got to shout out my folks as soon as they heard we were going on strike. My dad said, we're bringing coffee and donuts to your picket. My mom loved meeting some of my students and colleagues and my dad left me with a sign, Strike. A lesson in democracy. Nice. Finally, my daughter. Since she was little, she's wanted to be a kindergarten teacher too. She came out and picketed on the line. She marched with her teachers and her high school's picket line. She stood in the rain with my husband in the school as part of the K in the strike for our students. The human banner at Ocean Beach. I'm so proud of her commitment, strength, compassion and solidarity. Thank you for all you do to educate the public. Peace, love and justice. Becky, I'm including a photo of my husband in his biking and striking mode and me in the signature black UESF beanie. And my pod pet, Tax is our sweet girl, Magpie Pie, the silly pie, Sandy Pie, Mud pie, Cuddle Pie who brings us joy and we're totally obsessed with. I bet you can guess what one of her breeds is. The other is harder to tell, man.

[Allison Gill]

So. So, boy Becky, you say thank you for all you do to educate the public. Thank you for all you and your whole family and all of Your colleagues. Seriously, to educate the public. I mean, you got 46 years between you, just the two of you. That's not including everybody else in your fam. That's amazing. Also, I love all the different names for Magpie, Silly Pie, Sandy Mud Pie, Cuddle Pie. I would love to know if you have how many names for your animals you have. Like, just send in the real name and then give us all of your alternate names because everyone's got a ton of them. As far as the breeds, what do you think? It looks like probably a cattle dog in there, right? Australian cattle dog in the.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yeah, I think so. And then wolf whip it.

[Allison Gill]

Something that we won't guess.

[Dana Goldberg]

Right.

[Allison Gill]

Let's see. Border collie and golden retriever. Okay. Oh, yeah, the golden retriever is very hidden. Hidden very well. Thank you so much for that. And our final submission is from Anonymous. My good news is simply two words. Heated rivalry. It is one of those rare shows that I wish I could go back in time and unsee just so I can see it for the first time all over again. Oh, I love that. Naturally, this means I've watched it completely three times and I've read all the books that the show is based on. As if the series wasn't good enough on its own. The unknown actors in the series are amazing, as is the story of the author now receiving Parkinson's care that she couldn't receive before her rise to fame. Go enjoy the joy of heated rivalry. For my POD tariff, I present to you my creation of the Canada fleece worn in the show you made the heated rivalry. Candida Fleeza.

[Dana Goldberg]

I love this. Okay, Anonymous, excellent submission. I do need to say to our listeners, this is not a show you want to watch sitting next to your parents. No, possibly your young children, because I found out very quickly it's the equivalent of porn. And I'm not exaggerating. Soft porn. It is soft.

[Phil Williams]

Soft.

[Dana Goldberg]

Beautiful. Beautiful love making between two gorgeous gay men with gorgeous asses.

[Allison Gill]

And listen, two other gorgeous gay men with gorgeous.

[Dana Goldberg]

Absolutely. Just because I don't eat at the buffet doesn't mean I can't smell the food. I can appreciate the bodies and everything else. Just a warning. Maybe don't sit down with Miami and Pappy and decide, hey, let's give this new series a shot without warning them and yourself.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah. Unless softcore gay porn is like something that you enjoy with the family.

[Dana Goldberg]

You know, because it's an extraordinary show. Like, extraordinary show. It's just very explicit, beautiful way.

[Allison Gill]

It's very, very sexy. Yeah. It would be the same like, I can't watch Bridgerton with my mother. Yeah, there's no way.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yeah, exactly.

[Allison Gill]

There's no way.

[Dana Goldberg]

I mean, listen, I made a joke. I was like, there's no way I could watch Heated rival with my 81 year old mother because how am I supposed to explain to her how hockey is played?

[Allison Gill]

That's a good joke. I don't have time to explain what icing is.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yeah, I don't know what icing is. I can tell you what pegging is, but I have no idea what icing is. You know what?

[Allison Gill]

That would be so funny if you're watching Heated Rivalry like, and during one of the sex scenes, you could turn to somebody say, is that what icing is? Yeah. Cuz it's just something that I have to ask every time I watch hockey. Even though it's been explained to me a thousand times, I still have to. Could you clarify icing for me? It would just be funny to do during one of the sex scenes. Anyway. One of my favorite shows. I've watched it three times.

[Dana Goldberg]

So good.

[Allison Gill]

It's so, so good. All right, everybody, thank you so very much for sending in your good news. We're going to be back in your ears tomorrow. It'll be Friday, so it'll be Fugal sang Fridays. John Fugal saying will be here. Do you have any final thoughts before we go today?

[Dana Goldberg]

Not today.

[Allison Gill]

All right, we'll see you tomorrow. Until then, please take care of yourselves, take care of each other, take care of the planet, take care of your mental health and take care of your family. And if you're in charge of the Jewish space laser that controls the weather, please make it not rain on the west coast next week while I'm on vacation. Thank you very much.

[Dana Goldberg]

Do what I can. See you tomorrow. I've been AG and I've been DG.

[Allison Gill]

Dad, them's the beans. The Daily Beans is written in a executive produced by Allison Gill with additional research and reporting by Dana Goldberg. Sound design and editing is by Desiree McFarlane with art and web design by Joelle Reader with Moxie Design Studios. Music for the Daily Beans is written and performed by they Might Be Giants and the show is a proud member of the MSW Media Network, a collection of creator owned podcasts dedicated to news, politics and justice. For more information Please visit msw media.com msw media.